TheShuttle Carrier Aircraft(SCA) are two extensively
modifiedBoeing 747airliners thatNASAused to transportSpace Shuttle
orbiters. One is a 747-100 model, while the other is a short range
747-100SR.The SCAs were used to ferry Space Shuttles from landing
sites back to theShuttle Landing Facilityat theKennedy Space
Center, and to and from other locations too distant for the
orbiters to be delivered by ground transport. The orbiters were
placed on top of the SCAs byMate-Demate Devices, largegantry-like
structures that hoisted the orbiters off the ground for post-flight
servicing then mated them with the SCAs for ferry flights.In
approach and landing test flights conducted in 1977, thetest
shuttle Enterprisewas released from an SCA during flight and glided
to a landing under its own control.[1]Contents[hide] 1Design and
development 2Retirement 3Specifications 4Ferry flights 5Gallery
6See also 7References 7.1Bibliography 8External linksDesign and
development[edit]TheLockheed C-5 Galaxywas considered for the
shuttle-carrier role by NASA, but rejected in favor of the 747in
part due to the 747's low-wing design in comparison to the C-5's
high-wing design, and also because theU.S. Air Forcewould have
retained ownership of the C-5, while NASA could own the 747s
outright.
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft N905NA, inAmerican Airlineslivery,
withEnterprisein 1978The first aircraft, a Boeing 747-100
registered N905NA, was originally manufactured forAmerican
Airlinesand still carried visible Americancheatlineswhile
testingEnterprisein the 1970s. It was acquired in 1974 and
initially used for trailing wake vortex research as part of a
broader study byNASA Dryden, as well as Shuttle tests involving
anF-104flying in close formation and simulating a "release" from
the 747. The aircraft appears in the background of a scene fromThe
Six Million Dollar Man's second season episode "The Deadly Replay",
filmed in 1974 atEdwards AFB.The aircraft was extensively modified
by Boeing in 1976.[2]While first-class seats were kept for NASA
passengers, its main cabin and insulation were stripped,[3]mounting
struts were added, and the fuselage was strengthened. Vertical
stabilizers were added to the tail to aid stability when the
Orbiter was being carried. The avionics and engines were also
upgraded, and an escape tunnel system similar to that used on
Boeing's first 747 test flights was added. The flight crew escape
tunnel system was later removed following the completion of the
Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) due to concerns over possible
engine ingestion of an escaping crew member.
Atlantisbeing mated to SCA N911NA at Dryden Flight Research
CenterFlying with the additional drag and weight of the Orbiter
imposed significant fuel and altitude penalties. The range was
reduced to 1,000 nautical miles (1,850km), compared to an unladen
range of 5500 nautical miles (10,100km), requiring an SCA to stop
several times to refuel on a transcontinental flight.[4]Without the
Orbiter, the SCA needed to carry ballast to balance out its center
of gravity.[3]The SCA had an altitude ceiling of 15,000 feet and a
maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.6 with the orbiter attached.[4]A
crew of 170 took a week to prepare the shuttle and SCA for
flight.[5]
Columbiaatop SCA N905NA, flying by theVehicle Assembly
Building(VAB) atKennedy Space Center(KSC), 1990. N905NA no longer
has American Airlines' pinstriping.Studies were conducted to equip
the SCA withaerial refuelingequipment, a modification already made
to theU.S. Air ForceE-4(modified 747-200s) and 747 tanker
transports for theIIAF. However, during formation flying with a
tanker aircraft to test refueling approaches, minor cracks were
spotted on the tailfin of N905NA. While these were not likely to
have been caused by the test flights, it was felt that there was no
sense taking unnecessary risks. Since there was no urgent need to
provide an aerial refueling capacity, the tests were suspended.By
1983, SCA N905NA no longer carried the distinct American Airlines
tricolorcheatline. NASA replaced it with its own livery, consisting
of a white fuselage and a single blue cheatline.[6]That year, this
aircraft was also used to flyEnterpriseon a tour in Europe, with
refuelling stops inGoose Bay,Canada;Keflavik, Iceland;England;
andWest Germany. It then went to theParis Air Show.[7]In 1988, in
the wake of theChallengeraccident, NASA procured a surplus
747-100SR fromJapan Airlines. RegisteredN911NAit entered service
with NASA in 1990 after undergoing modifications similar to N905NA.
It was first used in 1991 to ferry the new shuttleEndeavourfrom the
manufacturers inPalmdale, CaliforniatoKennedy Space Center.
Humorous note on Orbiter Mount reminding technicians how to
connect the orbiter to the transportBased at theDryden Flight
Research CenterwithinEdwards Air Force BaseinCalifornia[3]the two
aircraft were functionally identical, although N911NA has five
upper-deck windows on each side, while N905NA has only two. The
rear mounting points on both aircraft were labeled with humorous
instructions to "attach orbiter here" or "place orbiter here",
clarified by the precautionary note "black side down".[8][9]Shuttle
Carriers were capable of operating fromalternative shuttle landing
sitessuch as those in theUnited Kingdom,Spain, andFrance. Due to
the reduced range of the Shuttle Carrier while mated to an orbiter,
additional preparations such as removal of the payload from the
orbiter may have been necessary to reduce its weight.[10]
Silhouettes listing the number of ferry and free flights of the
various Orbiters and the Phantom Ray on the port side of the
SCABoeingtransported itsPhantom Rayunmanned combat aerial
vehicle(UCAV) demonstrator from St. Louis, Missouri, to Edwards on
a Shuttle Carrier on December 11, 2010.[11]Retirement[edit]Shuttle
Carrier N911NA retired on February 8, 2012 after its final mission
to the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, California,
and will be used as a source of parts for NASA'sStratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy(SOFIA).[12]Shuttle Carrier
N905NA was used to ferry the retired Shuttles to their respective
museums. It returned to the Dryden Flight Research Facility at
Edwards Air Force Base in California after a short flight from Los
Angeles International Airport on September 24, 2012. It was
intended to join N911NA as a source of spare parts for NASA's SOFIA
aircraft.[12][13]NASA engineers surveyed N905NA and determined that
it had few parts usable for SOFIA, and 905 is now intended to be
preserved and displayed in Houston. Three former NASA aircraft are
on static display in the Houston area - twoT-38sat the front
entrance of Space Center Houston, and the former NASAKC-135 930
Vomit Comet. In 2013, the Space Center announced plans to display
SCA 905 with the mockup shuttleIndependencemounted on its
back.[14]NASA 905 was erected on site at the space center, having
been ferried in pieces fromEllington Field, and the replica shuttle
was mounted in August 2014.[15]The display is scheduled to open in
2015.Shuttle Carrier N911NA is being loaned out for display to the
Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, Calif., beginning in
September 2014.[16]The aircraft will remain a source of spare parts
for the SOFIA program.Specifications[edit]
Data fromBoeing 747-100 specifications[17]Jenkins 2000[4]General
characteristics Crew:4: pilot, co-pilot, 2 flight engineers (1
flight engineer when not carrying Shuttle) Length:231 ft 4 in (70.5
m) Wingspan:195 ft 8 in (59.7 m) Height:63 ft 5 in (19.3 m) Wing
area:5,500 ft (510 m) Empty weight:318,000 lb (144,200 kg) Max.
takeoff weight:710,000 lb (322,000 kg) Powerplant:4 P&W
JT9D-7Jturbofans, 50,000 lbf (222 kN) eachPerformance Cruise
speed:Mach 0.6 (with Shuttle) (397 knots, 457 mph, 735 km/h)
Range:1,150 mi (1,000 nmi, 1,850 km) while carrying Shuttle Service
ceiling:15,000 ft (4,500 m) (with Shuttle)Ferry
flights[edit]Further information:List of Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
flightsFerry flights generally transported the orbiters fromEdwards
Air Force Base, the shuttle's secondary landing site, to theShuttle
Landing Facility(SLF) at theKennedy Space Centerwhere the orbiter
would be processed. This was common in the early days of the space
shuttle program when weather conditions at the SLF prevented the
shuttle from landing there. A number of flights started at
theDryden Flight Research Centerfollowing delivery of the orbiter
fromRockwell Internationalto NASA from the nearby facilities in
Palmdale, California.[18]At the end of the space shuttle program
the SCA was used to deliver the retired orbiters from the Kennedy
Space Center to their museums.Discoverywas delivered to
theUdvar-Hazy Centerof theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and
Space MuseuminChantilly, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. on April
19, 2012. On April 17, 2012, Discovery was flown atop a Shuttle
Carrier Aircraft escorted by a NASA T-38 Talon chase aircraft in a
final farewell flight. The 747 and Discovery flew over Washington,
D.C. and the metropolitan area around 10am and arrived at Dulles
around 11am. The flyover and landing were widely covered on
national news media.The last ferry flight tookEndeavourfrom Kennedy
Space Center toLos Angelesbetween 19 and 21 September 2012
viaEllington Fieldand Edwards Air Force Base. After leaving Edwards
the SCA withEndeavourperformed low level flyovers above various
landmarks across California, fromSacramentoto theSan FranciscoBay
Area, and finally to Los Angeles.Endeavourwas delivered toLos
Angeles International Airport (LAX). From there the orbiter would
be transported through the streets of Los Angeles andInglewoodto
its final destination in the California Science Center inExposition
Park.